Audigy 2 Zs Notebook Card Sucks!

[The_Goonie]

Bought the Audigy 2zs Notebook PCMCI card today. It pops and crackles during mp3s and other songs. Sounds fine for DVD playback. Half the time it can't recognize my speaker setup. This card is a piece of junk and it seems like it has been a problem for users for quite a while and still no resolution from Creative Labs. Driver updates are useless...changing the IRC channel didn't work. Updating the drivers for the cardbus reader on the notebook did not help. There appears to be no workaround. Thank goodness I bought it from a local shop and not online. I am returning this card as soon as I can. I do NOT recommend it. I have an M-Audio Mobile-Pre USB external sound card..and I should have just stuck with that....M-audio is the way to go...creative just lost a customer in the notebook arena. My two cents.

[markiemrboo]

Bought the Audigy 2zs Notebook PCMCI card today.  It pops and crackles during mp3s and other songs.  Sounds fine for DVD playback.  Half the time it can't recognize my speaker setup.  This card is a piece of junk and it seems like it has been a problem for users for quite a while and still no resolution from Creative Labs.  Driver updates are useless...changing the IRC channel didn't work.  Updating the drivers for the cardbus reader on the notebook did not help.  There appears to be no workaround.  Thank goodness I bought it from a local shop and not online.  I am returning this card as soon as I can.  I do NOT recommend it.  I have an M-Audio Mobile-Pre USB external sound card..and I should have just stuck with that....M-audio is the way to go...creative just lost a customer in the notebook arena.  My two cents.

461675[/snapback]

 

Cool huh? Yeah, I don't really like Creative soundcards full stop, for those very reasons. Onboard sound hasn't given me any troubles on the nForce boards (*tries really hard to forget about my old Audigy 1*... *starts crying*) so I am sticking with it.

[The_Goonie]

Desktop Audigy 2zs is great...the notebook 2zs......needs a LOT of work. I think Creative just threw something together and sold it before they even tested it

[Guest Jeremy]

Yeah, the Desktop Audigy 2 sounds way better than onboard sound, and doesn't have a reputation for causing trouble...unlike the notebook version.

[The_Goonie]

I tried it once more..just to be sure it wasn't a bad install....verified..it's a piece of poop.

[James61]

Cool huh? Yeah, I don't really like Creative soundcards full stop, for those very reasons. Onboard sound hasn't given me any troubles on the nForce boards (*tries really hard to forget about my old Audigy 1*... *starts crying*) so I am sticking with it.

461746[/snapback]

 

 

FINALLY.... someone else with common sense, I returned my Audigy 2zs the same day I bought it, worse sound card i've tried in a long time, went back to my good old Soundstorm that can actually handle digital output! next time I think about a soundcard upgrade i'll definately be going with Terratec or M-Audio....

[Ornlu]

Audigy 2 zs is actually a great card. The problem you noticed was probably related to the Digital to analog converters (DAC's) They're 96 khz dacs. Divide that by two... oops 48khz... and guess what, they don't scale well.

 

So, most MP3's are 44 khz, and sound like crap (harsh etc). Fortunately there's a fix. Search for a plugin that scales from 48khz to 44 on winamp.com it will fix the problem for a nominal 6% cpu usage. Worth it, because the card sounds great now.

[bdylyzsouless]

have you guys seen this one? It's brand new. It's supposed to blow any soundblaser out of the water. I just ordered one and I'll let you guys know how it works out. Check it out.

 

X-Mystique

 

Edit: Just installed this card and it is awesome. It blows my audigy 2 away. Popped it in and installed the drivers and it works perfectly. The sound is awesome. I definately recommend this card to anyone.